From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstrokestroke1 /strəʊk $ stroʊk/ ●●○ S3 noun [countable] 1 illnessMI if someone has a stroke, an artery (=tube carrying blood) in their brain suddenly bursts or becomes blocked, so that they may die or be unable to use some muscles She died following a massive stroke.have/suffer a stroke I looked after my father after he had a stroke. a stroke patient2 swimming/rowing a) DSSone of a set of movements in swimming or rowing in which you move your arms or the oar forward and then back She swam with strong steady strokes. b) DSSDSOa style of swimming or rowing the breast stroke3 sportDS the action of hitting the ball in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket a backhand stroke4 pen/brush a) AVWRITEa single movement of a pen or brush when you are writing or painting A few strokes of her pen brought out his features clearly. b) AVWRITELINEa line made by a pen or brush the thick downward strokes of the characters5 → at a/one stroke6 → on the stroke of seven/nine etc7 → stroke of luck/fortune8 → stroke of genius/inspiration etc9 hitHIT an action of hitting someone with something such as a whip or thin stick He cried out at each stroke of the whip. 10 a movement of your handTOUCH a gentle movement of your hand over something I gave her hair a gentle stroke.11 → with/at a stroke of the pen12 → not do a stroke (of work)13 → stroke of lightning14 clock/bellTIME/WHAT TIME IS IT a single sound made by a clock giving the hours, or by a bell, gong etc15 → put somebody off their stroke16 in numbers British EnglishHMN used when you are saying a number written with the mark (/) in it SYN slash The serial number is seventeen stroke one (=17/1).COLLOCATIONSverbshave/suffer a strokeMy father had a stroke.a stroke leaves somebody paralysed (=someone can no longer move as the result of a stroke)Two years later she had a stroke which left her paralysed.adjectivesa massive/major stroke (=one that has very bad effects)Her brother has just died of a massive stroke.a minor/mild stroke (=one that does not have very bad effects)She had a minor stroke five years ago.a fatal stroke (=one that kills someone)He suffered a fatal stroke in April.stroke + NOUNa stroke patient/victimSome stroke victims recover fully. 
TOUCHto move your hand gently over something He reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly.► see thesaurus at touch2 [always + adverb/preposition]MOVE something OR somebody to move something somewhere with gentle movements of your hand He lifted her face and stroked her hair from her eyes.3 [always + adverb/preposition] to hit or kick a ball with a smooth movement in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket He stroked the ball into an empty net, with a minute to go.4 → stroke somebody’s ego→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
stroke• The most complex Chinese character contains 64 strokes.• What is temporary paralysis in half the face next to the crippling paralysis of a stroke?• Aspin died suddenly of a stroke.• the back stroke• But this latest phase has now also emboldened Bush to press forward with his agenda in strong, conservative strokes.• We all long for the grand stroke that will turn schools around and suddenly solve all our problems.• The next stroke is called pulling, and is done along the sides of the body.• With our first paddle strokes, the canoe started moving rapidly down the river.• He paints the pictures with a series of quick strokes.• The stroke that brought my father down was enveloped in its own ironies.• If we talked back to the teacher, we got two strokes on the palm.have/suffer a stroke• The elder Grant, 65, suffered a stroke that caused brain damage and slipped into a coma last week.• And have a stroke before I hit the sidewalk?• Blair's father suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak.• Mr Kelly, who had suffered strokes in 1994 and 1995, died in his sleep, his publicist said.• Some people's behaviour changes after they have suffered a stroke.• Robert, known as Mr Mack, suffered a stroke and is bedridden.• Heartwatch gives a specific assessment of the probability of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke in later life.• Early in 1934 she suffered a stroke and died 10 January peacefully in her sleep.• It was always at this point that Takat seemed to suffer a stroke.strokestroke2 ●●○ verb [transitive] 1 TOUCHto move your hand gently over something He reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly.► see thesaurus at touch2 [always + adverb/preposition]MOVE something OR somebody to move something somewhere with gentle movements of your hand He lifted her face and stroked her hair from her eyes.3 [always + adverb/preposition] to hit or kick a ball with a smooth movement in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket He stroked the ball into an empty net, with a minute to go.4 → stroke somebody’s ego→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
stroke• Her mother sat beside her and stroked her forehead until she fell asleep again.• Lyn stroked him and reminded him she would be back at lunchtime.• He knew he had to tolerate Haley, stroke him some, and wait for his rage to subside.• He laughed a bit and stroked his beard a bit.• Ann took the baby in her arms and stroked his cheek.• The old priest stroked his white beard as he listened.• Figo stroked the ball over Martinez's head.• Miss Poole calmed herself by stroking the cat's fur.Origin stroke1 (1200-1300) Probably from an unrecorded Old English strac stroke2 1. Old English stracian2. (1900-2000) → STROKE1 